


Spellbound

by ria_green



Series: The Magician [3]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, M/M, Multi, POV Ronan Lynch, Ronan Lynch is Bad at Feelings, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2019-10-18 17:53:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17585543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ria_green/pseuds/ria_green
Summary: In fourth year, Ronan realizes that his intrigue towards Adam has evolved into attraction. Of course, Ronan has awful timing, and the epiphany comes after Adam asks Blue out.It is spectacularly awkward in their friend group, since two of the members are dating and the other two are nursing unrequited crushes on them."Blue is so beautiful." Gansey sighs, before catching himself. "So...involved with Adam. My dear friend Adam."Hogwarts!AU. Ronan/Adam.





	1. Chapter 1

Ronan's first impression of Adam Parrish is indifference.

Adam is a stranger intruding on his and Gansey's space, and he'll be out of their lives as soon as the boat ride to Hogwarts ends.

Despite his newness to their world, Adam isn't afraid to make use of his sharp tongue. It's mildly intriguing, but Ronan's friendship quota has already been filled (one friend and one frenemy is more than enough) so he assumes things won't go any further than that.

Then Adam gets Sorted into Slytherin, and that's very interesting. If Ronan were the type to pity strangers, he would pity Adam. One, for being a Muggleborn thrown into a pit of purist snakes. And two, for having to live with Kavinsky. Ronan might willingly spend time with him, but he's well-aware that Kavinsky is objectively a terrible person. (Ronan tries not to think too hard about what that makes him.)  

Gansey is interested in Adam too. Despite Gansey being one of the friendliest people Ronan knows, he's not one to give undue praise. That's why Ronan is bemused to hear: "Adam is brilliant! Maybe it's because he's Muggleborn, but he's got such a different way of looking at the world. Most likely it's just Adam. He's going to be the top student in our year, mark my words."

Amusingly, Adam isn't immediately won over by the old Gansey charm.

Gansey says sadly, "I wanted to sit next to him in History of Magic, but he said something about there not being enough room for me and all my friends?"

Ronan snorts. He can immediately picture the situation and Adam's deadpan response. "You probably scared him off with your entourage."

"I'll approach him alone next time!" Gansey vows.

Considering how famous the Gansey line is, Gansey has never wanted for companionship. Most families in the Wizarding World, even the Dark ones, would give their right arm to attach themselves to the Arthurian lineage. Gansey is constantly beset by offers of alliance, friendship, and marriage - most of which boil down to sycophancy. It's novel for Gansey to put such an effort into befriending someone. 

Observing the increasingly elaborate attempts, Ronan says, "Is this a practice run for your marriage courtship?"

Eventually, the wooing pays off. "He's agreed to weekly study sessions," Gansey boasts. "And he only sighs a little now when I wave at him across the Great Hall now."

"Amazing. When do I get to see the progress in person?" Ronan says sarcastically.

Ganse's smile falls away. "Oh. Well. You're both my friends, and it would be lovely if you two were friends as well. The thing is-"

Ronan wasn't really serious about befriending Adam (remember: the friendship quota was fully occupied), but the idea that Adam very much does not want to meet him raises his ire.

"What, he's too good for me? Is he still holding a grudge about the boat ride or something?"

Gansey's lips firm into a straight line. "As a Muggleborn, I don't think he feels comfortable with any associate of Kavinsky."

That immediately takes the wind out of Ronan's sails. "I don't-! You know I don't care about that blood purity crap!"

"I, as your childhood friend of seven years, know that. Adam does not." Driving the point in further, Gansey quotes, "'A man is known by the company he keeps.' 'Your silence is consent.' 'What you allow, you encourage-'"

"I get it!" Feeling attacked but aware he's in the wrong, Ronan mutters, "You can keep the nerd to yourself then."

So despite the deepening friendship between Gansey and Adam, not once does Ronan join them. Adam allows Gansey to babble at him about ancient kings during their library dates. Ronan allows Gansey to drag him on hunts to discover unsolved Hogwarts mysteries. They orbit Gansey but their paths never intersect.

Not until they discover Noah in the Forbidden Forest.

It's impossible not to befriend each other after you've stumbled across a decades-old unsolved murder together. That sort of scenario leads to immediate bonding against the will. Much like fighting a troll together, so Ronan has been told.

The Kavinsky problem isn't solved, by any means. But since Blue and Adam have managed to outwit Kavinsky into keeping his mouth shut in public, all he can do is complain in private. Which, after a few weeks of getting to know Blue and Adam, Ronan is no longer willing to tolerate. 

"I don't want to hear you calling Blue a Squib or Adam a Mudblood ever again," Ronan says dangerously.

"Ronan, where is this sudden Muggle-lover behavior coming from? You've never had a problem with it before! A Mudblood is a Mudblood, and a Squib is a Squib. I'm just calling a spade a spade."

"Blue doesn't like the term 'Squib." So you're not going to call her that. And Adam is a Muggleborn. There's nothing dirty about him. So you won't be calling him a Mudblood anymore either."

"Or what?" Kavinsky challenges.

"Or else I won't be here to hear it," Ronan says. Despite Gansey's obvious disapproval of Kavinsky, Ronan's never actually threatened to stop hanging out with him before.

But Blue and Adam are his friends now. Ronan realizes he was wrong for ever condoning Kavinsky's hatefulness. And he wants to be better for the both of them. 

Kavinsky folds.

Gansey smiles proudly as Ronan spends less and less time with the Dream Pack and starts actively calling out classmates who express purist views. Blue's insults gain an edge of affection.  The icy distrust in Adam's eyes starts to thaw. 

Ronan's exceeded his friendship quota. But he's starting to think that everything will be alright anyway.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeskip to fourth year.

In fourth year, hormones hit Hogwarts with no notice and no mercy.

Ronan realizes that his intrigue towards Adam has evolved into attraction. Of course, Ronan has awful timing, and the epiphany comes after Adam asks Blue out.

It is spectacularly awkward in their friend group for a spell, since two of the members are dating and the other two are nursing unrequited crushes on them.

Noah, who has developed minor empathic abilities, shakes his head in exasperation. "Young love. What can you do?"

Ronan and Gansey share mixed feelings about the situation. A sentiment along the lines of, "If it can't be me dating Adam/Blue, at least it's Blue/Adam." 

Gansey is very obvious about being heels over head for Blue. Ronan is not obvious at all, and if Noah weren't vaguely psychic, not a soul would know that he liked Adam. (Well, maybe Kavinsky, since he observes the both of them so obsessively.)

Consequently, Gansey spends a lot of time composing odes to Blue's patchwork tights while she sits with Adam at a separate table. Ronan spends a lot of time pretending he isn't just as pathetic about Adam.

"So beautiful." Gansey sighs, before catching himself. "So...involved with Adam. My dear friend Adam."

"Hmph." Ronan grunts and quickly looks away before Adam can catch his eye.

They withstand almost two agonizing months of hand-holding and cheek kisses until Blue and Adam break up on Halloween.

"It was a mutual decision. We're better as friends," Blue says primly. But judging by the way that Adam avoids them for a week before returning like nothing happened, she was the one to initiate it.

Ronan and Gansey then have to pretend they aren't elated. Gansey frets over the decorous amount of time he needs to wait before confessing and if he should have a heartfelt conversation with Adam beforehand.

"Six months," Gansey decides, "that seems reasonable."

As usual, neither Blue nor Adam care a whit for Gansey's discretion. Blue invites Gansey to Hogsmeade in November, and Adam returns from winter break with Teddy Lupin as his new boyfriend.

On the bright side, dating Teddy Lupin means that Adam could theoretically be attracted to Ronan. On the other hand, Adam is empirically not attracted to Ronan.

Since Teddy has always been closer to Adam than the rest of them, the newfound relationship means that Adam spends less time with their group. Blue and Gansey take the opportunity to go on dates, which leaves a glaringly single Ronan and a sympathetic ghost in the lurch.  

Sensing an opportunity, Kavinsky makes overtures towards Ronan in a typical Kavinsky fashion ("Looks like your friends are occupied. Wanna snog?"). But after two years of distancing himself from the Dream Pack, Ronan isn't interested in sinking that low.

By the time they finish the year, Adam is known equally well-known for being the top student in their class (four years running) as he is for being the boyfriend of Teddy Lupin. Teddy commands a good deal of public interest as the godson of the Boy-Who-Lived and the son of illustrious war heroes. Teddy and Adam win the yearbook superlative for Best Couple.

The student body is less supportive of Gansey and Blue's relationship, which has broken countless gold-digging hearts in its wake. Blue is handy enough with butter knives and small pink daggers that no one is willing to challenge her face-to-face about the fact that a Squib born out of wedlock is dating the most eligible bachelor in their year. There are disgruntled whispers about their incompatibility, but it's obvious to anyone with eyes how infatuated Gansey is.

Ronan is alone and tries to not be too bitter about it.

 

 

On their last day before summer, they split off at King's Cross Station.

Adam returns to Grimmauld Place with Teddy and Professor Potter. Blue is spending the break with her mother at an American Indian reservation. Having failed to convince Blue to make an introduction to the in-laws, Gansey is bound for his estate. Ronan will be heading home to the Barns. 

"I'll see you in a week, Ronan. Be good," Declan says. He's meeting his girlfriend's family in Paris. Given his track record, Ronan predicts they'll be broken up and Declan back at the Barns by day three.

"I'm always good," Ronan lies.

Ronan waits at the station for an hour, but no one comes.

Niall Lynch can be forgetful and mercurial at times, but he's never forgotten to pick Ronan up at the end of the school year before. Then again, Aurora isn't around to remind him. Taking advantage of her youngest son's last year before Hogwarts, Aurora is touring Europe with Matthew. They're expected back tomorrow.

In the end, Ronan calls the Knight Bus, takes a public Portkey to Belfast, transfers lines twice, and then walks forty minutes from the nearest stop to the Barns.

There's a reason his parents are supposed to pick him up from Hogwarts. Their home is beautiful but inconveniently located, unless one has been granted Floo access or a Portkey to the grounds.

He makes up his mind to ask for a private Portkey; he's old enough now, and it'll come in handy if his parents ever space out like this again. 

The first sign that something is wrong is the stillness. There is usually a tingling sensation when the wards detect his blood relation, but today Ronan feels nothing as he crosses the gate.

The second sign is the silence. Niall is known for his pastime of breeding exotic magical creatures, and the Barns tend to be surrounded by a low hum of activity at all times.

Struck by a sudden sense of anxiety, Ronan begins running down the road to the manor.

The third and final sign is the body of Niall Lynch lying face-down at the doors of the manor. Ronan would recognize that familiar head of curls anywhere.

 _He fell_ , Ronan tells himself and runs faster.

"Dad, are you okay?" He reaches out to shake Niall's shoulder. It's cold. "Dad!"

Trembling with exertion and fear, Ronan manages to turn his father over onto his side.

Later, Ronan will be grateful that the last expression on Niall's face is of surprise and not pain. The green shine of the Killing Curse still lingers in his mismatched eyes.

" _Dad._ "

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan spirals.

Everything happens so quickly after that.

Numbly, Ronan uses the falcons to send out emergency messages. Then, he sits down on the steps of the manor and waits.

Aurora is the first to arrive. Small mercies, she leaves Matthew with a friend of the family.

Eyes rooted to her husband's corpse, Aurora lets out a small, pained whimper. It's the last sound she utters for a long time.

Later, Ronan will wonder if he should have covered or moved the body. If it was the proof of her husband's lifeless shell that drove Aurora Lynch over the edge.

Declan arrives shortly after. He goes bone-white for one long moment before visibly forcing himself to move. He calls the Aurors, finds a blanket to drape over their father, steers a catatonic Aurora into the manor living room, and instructs Ronan to watch over her. Meanwhile, he stays outside with the body until the Aurors arrive.

Declan has always been the responsible one.

Later, when Ronan doesn't hate him so much, he'll acknowledge that Declan was only seventeen. He shouldn't have had to do what he did that day.

But that comes later.

 

 

Ronan doesn't remember much from that summer.

At some point, Matthew comes back. He cries and cries and cries, as if trying to shed enough tears for everyone who is dry-eyed.

At some point, Ronan catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Startled by the familiar unfamiliarity of his reflection, he decides to cut his hair. (Niall Lynch has never had short hair.)

At some point, Gansey is banging on his door, and Ronan doesn't let him in. Blue and Adam send piles of letters, and he burns those too.

At some point, Declan commits their mother to the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungos.

At some point, there is a funeral.

By the time September comes around, the haze of grief has cleared and rage is what remains.

He's angry at this world, this unfair and cold world that took away a great man and didn't even have the mercy to deliver restitution.

The murder of Niall Lynch remains unsolved for years to come.

 

 

Coincidentally, their fifth year happens to be the year that Kavinsky starts dealing potions, a small-scale version of his father's vast illegal trafficking network. Kavinsky provides all sorts of shady curios, but he specializes in concentrated potions with severe side effects.

Ronan starts hanging out with the Dream Pack again. High morals seem less important when Kavinsky is the only one who can supply Ronan with potions to feel less.  It's easier. The Dream Pack doesn't give a shit about him, and he doesn't give a shit about them.

His friends and family disapprove, but it doesn't affect him when he's on a potion that leaves him feeling hollow and high. He wishes they would quit it with the interventions.

When Declan tries to scold him for poor decision-making, Ronan hits him with a below-the-belt retort. "Why don't you mind your own business? You're the Lynch patriarch now. Suppose it happened earlier than you predicted, but I'm sure it'll advance your twenty-year plans to become the Minister of Magic."

Declan hits back harder. He bans Ronan from coming back to the Barns or seeing Matthew until he's "off those damn potions." Ronan is pissed about the first condition but secretly grateful about the second. He's afraid he'll tarnish Matthew as he is now.

Noah is next. Kind, meddling, flighty Noah. "Those potions are not helping. They might make things better temporarily, but in the long run, they're only amping up your emotions of anger, despair, and hatred. Talk to our friends!"

Ronan tells Noah that he's so fucking annoying it's no wonder someone offed him back then. And it was probably someone Noah knew, wasn't it, since he trusted them enough to walk out to the Forbidden Forest together alone?

Noah disappears and doesn't appear in front of Ronan again, but he must have let something slip to Blue and Adam because they confront him a few days later.

Ronan has seen them trying to catch him alone, but he's always with Kavinsky nowadays, and they seem to have decided speaking in front of an audience is better than not speaking at all.

Hands on her hips, Blue glares at a smirking Kavinsky and then immediately turns to Ronan. "Enough with this extended teenage tantrum. Your father died, and that's awful. But you're not going about this the right way. You need to let us in. You need to let us help you."

Ronan lets his eyes skim past her as if she's beneath his notice, the way that the assholes do because she's incapable of external magic or because she's a witch. Blue and Adam are two of the most stubborn and perceptive people he knows. They won't leave him alone unless he does something truly drastic.

He utters words that he's never said before and never wanted to. He looks Adam Parrish in his blue, blue eyes, and says, "Fuck off to your halfbreed boyfriend, Mudblood. And take the Squib with you."

Kavinsky lets out a shocked but approving laugh.

Voice tight with emotion, Blue says, "You are such a prick, Ronan." His eyes are still locked on Adam's, so Ronan doesn't watch her leave.

Adam takes a step towards him, and for one wild second, Ronan thinks he's going to throw a curse.

Ronan would let him.

But his eyes are like ice. Colder even than the empty hole in Ronan's chest.

Adam says levelly, "I won't pretend I understand what you're going through. You loved your father, you lost him, and you're grieving."

Before Ronan can spit that he doesn't want useless apologies or pretentious platitudes, Adam continues, "But being hurt doesn't give you the right to hurt others. You think Blue and I haven't heard those slurs a hundred times before? We have. From your merry compatriot over there, to begin with." He jerks his head at Kavinsky.

"Those words are just noise to us at this point. And Blue and I are not idiots, we are aware you're about as much a Pureblood supremacist as Hermione Granger. You're trying to push us away. Gold star for effort, I suppose."

Ronan feels pinned to the spot, the words piercing him straight and true.

"We're friends, and that won't change because you threw around some words you don't believe in. At the same time, that doesn't mean I'll subject myself to your self-destructive attempts to take the easy way out."

Adam's voice hardens. "I'm not anyone's punching bag. So come find me when you get your head out of your ass."

Adam breaks his gaze, spins on his heel, and leaves. He doesn't look back.

Ronan clutches the fabric in front of his heart. The potion effects shouldn't have worn off yet. Yet, Ronan feels. Too much.

Guilt for the false poison that dripped from his lips. Relief that Blue and Adam were strong enough to weather his storm. Shame for being seen through so effortlessly. Surprise because Adam never responded the way Ronan expected him to (three years, and he was no closer to knowing him). And the damned mix of admiration, affection, and enchantment that he always feels towards Adam Parrish.

They're both staring at the doorway that Adam exited through when Kavinsky breaks the silence.

For once, Kavinsky doesn't sound manic or cruel or high. He says distantly, "He's remarkable, isn't he." A wistful pause. "...it would have been so much simpler if he weren't a Mudblood."

The unexpectedness is enough to shake Ronan out of his fugue. He snorts. "Simpler for you, maybe. So that you wouldn't have to reconcile your blood purist beliefs with the evidence in front of you that it's all bullshit."

Someone must have dosed the pumpkin juice at breakfast with Veritaserum because Kavinsky admits, "That. Among other things."

 

 

Gansey is the only one Ronan doesn't manage to drive away. Armed with a childhood friend's knowledge of every sore point and insecurity, Ronan brings Gansey to the point of tears many times. Again and again, he returns.

At this point, Ronan communicates with Declan entirely through letters despite the fact that they inhabit the same castle. Noah hasn't appeared in front of him for a month, even if Ronan sometimes hears a soft murmur or feels the brush of a ghostly hand on his shoulder when he's alone. Blue and Adam acknowledge his presence but refuse to approach him, just as Adam promised. Matthew shoots him pleading eyes, but with both older brothers united on his being spared Ronan's Potion-spurred temper, he is left with no recourse.

Gansey is the one who saves him.

Towards end of November, Ronan overdoses. The last thing he remembers is Kavinsky shouting down at him, "How much did you take? Fucking idiot!"

He wakes up in the Hospital Wing to Gansey's tearstained face.

"Enough, Ronan. It's enough. Please. Let me help you."

Ronan is so tired. He barely moves his head, but Gansey takes it as agreement, face lighting up with determination and hope.

"Declan's already agreed. It's a very reputable rehabilitation program; my mother knows the department head there. If things go well, you should be back after winter break. You won't miss that much school, but I'm sure Adam would be willing to lend you his notes for the period you're gone."

Ronan lets out a disbelieving huff.

Gansey's eyes sharpen. "He will, Ronan. Adam, Noah, and Blue - they all care about you. You'll owe them an apology when you get better, but they've never stopped being your friends just because you stopped being theirs."

Ronan turns his head away.

If his eyes are wet, only Gansey is there to notice, and Ronan knows now that there's no getting rid of him.

The good thing about hitting rock-bottom is that he can only go up from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the chapter. Was Ronan too much of a prick? Should he be forgiven? How do you feel about how Adam reacted?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are broken so that they can be rebuilt stronger.

After his winter stint at the rehabilitation center, Ronan returns to Hogwarts stone-cold sober, all the better to realize what a massive idiot he's been. 

His counselor would probably gently admonish him not to deprecate himself, but he's self-aware enough to know that he screwed up big-time with his friends and family. He owes them an apology. Unfortunately, he's not good at those.

What Ronan should say:

Declan. _Sorry for implying that you plan to use our father's death as a stepping stone for your career when you were probably just as torn up about it as the rest of us but better at hiding it._

Gansey. _Sorry for wielding a decade of friendship against you when you were only trying to help me._

Blue. _Sorry for pretending to be a bigot to push you away._

Adam. _Sorry for_ _pretending to be a bigot - unconvincingly._

Noah. __Sorry for suggesting that you deserved to be murdered.__

What Ronan actually ends up doing:

He doesn't apologize to Declan because he still hates his older brother a little bit. But he stays in one place while Declan yells at him about what a fool he has been, which is his special Ronan way of acknowledging that he was wrong. Declan recognizes this pseudo-apology and responds in his own Declan way by lifting the ban on seeing Matthew.

Gansey is his brother in all but blood at this point, and as previously established, Ronan doesn't apologize to family. He knows now that there isn't anything that he could do that would make Gansey walk away from him and vice versa. Ronan is a Hufflepuff so he's always been the loyal sort, but this experience cements Gansey as his true north.

Noah senses the waves of guilt and remorse coming off of Ronan and says, "I forgive you, you utter twat," before Ronan even has the chance to open his mouth. Creepy, but convenient.

Blue lets him stew in front of her for a long while, before huffing, "Honestly! I'm not going to make you grovel, Ronan. It would be embarrassing for the both of us." She extracts a promise from him to never disparage her for being a woman or a Squib again, no matter how out of his mind with grief or anger he is.

Adam accepts his apology immediately. He's talking to Ronan again. He even provides Ronan with notes from the classes he missed, like Gansey said he would.

Adam has absolutely not forgiven him. 

Only after Ronan lost Adam's trust does he realize that how precious it was to have it. Adam doesn't treat him differently, but there's hesitation and strain in his every interaction with Ronan where there hasn't been before.

The others pick up on it. Hoping that proximity will heal the rift, Gansey overcompensates by issuing a never-ending stream of invitations to hang out. Blue does her best to melt Adam's iciness on her own time, but judging by the resigned and pitying looks she shoots Ronan, she isn't getting far.

Noah does his mind-reading thing and tells Ronan, "He isn't doing it on purpose, to punish you or anything like that. He wants to forgive you. He just can't bring himself to feel the same way he did before."

Fucking ouch.

At a certain point, Ronan is so desperate to have things go back to normal again that he reaches out to Blue for, shudder, relationship advice. Neither of them are great at talking about feelings, but Blue is intuitive underneath her brashness and Ronan sensitive underneath his spiky exterior.

"The only thing you can do is to be there. Just keep being there, and showing Adam that you won't hurt him again." Her mouth twists ruefully. "I can't promise you that things will go back to the way they were. But maybe things can be different in a good way. Eventually."

So Ronan does just that. Their strained, mending friendship manages to limp its way across the finish line by the end of the year, approaching something like normalcy.

Ronan would rather kiss Kavinsky than return home to where he found his father's body, so with Declan's blessing, he's spending the summer with the Ganseys instead. 

"You can always visit the Gansey Manor over break," Ronan says casually. Behind him, Blue is rolling her eyes at his feigned nonchalance.

Adam cocks his head. "Isn't that something Gansey should be offering?"

Gansey gestures expansively. "Ronan is our guest! That means that my home is his home. And I would certainly love to have you over as well."

"Thank you, I'll keep your invitation in mind." That's Adam-speak for no.

Unable to give up quite just yet, Ronan throws a parting shot. "Well, if you get bored of living in close-quarters with your boyfriend and the Savior of the Wizarding World, you know where to find us."

 

 

 

Ronan doesn't actually harbor any expectations of Adam visiting. But in early August, Gansey lets out a sharp "hm!" as he skims through a letter.

Normally, Ronan would just ignore him. Gansey is the type of person who gets excited by new developments in historical research from his professor pen-pal. But usually, he can't resist babbling about that sort of thing to Ronan.

This time, Gansey immediately begins to pen a reply.

Curiosity piqued, Ronan asks, "Who is that?"

Gansey waves distractedly. "Oh, it's just Adam."

Ronan sits up sharply. "Adam?" He throws a cushion at Gansey when he doesn't immediately elaborate.

"Ow! Ugh, yes, Adam is writing to request if he can still visit the Manor. I'm reminding him that I gave him an open invitation, and he's welcome to drop by whenever he likes. Oh, I wish Blue could have stayed longer last week. She'll be mad that she just missed him."

"How is he doing?"

Gansey purses his lips. "You know, I'm not an expert on his Adam-isms, but it seems like he might be feeling a little down."

"Maybe he broke up with his boyfriend," Ronan says. One can always hope.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" Gansey admonishes. He's one of the most vocal supporters of Teddy and Adam, partly out of lingering guilt that he stole Adam's last girlfriend and partly because he has a huge hero crush on Teddy's godfather.

 

 

Ronan feels terrible when it turns out he was right.

"There are few experiences more awkward in life than having to stay in the same house with your ex and his new girlfriend," Adam says. "So thanks again for the escape."

Ronan latches onto the last bit. "New girlfriend?"

"Victoire Weasley. She was visiting the Black Manor for Harry's birthday. Apparently, Teddy is her Veela mate: there were glowy lights and everything when they touched," Adam says, waggling his fingers lethargically in an approximation of how he feels about magically destined relationships.

Gansey places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like a difficult situation."

Once the school year starts, Adam will have to field questions from Hogwarts students heartbroken that their class couple didn't work out, and given how close he is to Professor Potter, he'll be around his ex-boyfriend for a long time to come. So yeah, it kind of sucks.

Adam lets out a frustrated sigh. "I'm being unreasonable. Teddy had a crush on Victoire for ages when they were young, and Victoire will literally die of heartbreak if she isn't with Teddy. We agreed to stay friends, and he's still one of the most important people in my life. I shouldn't complain."

Gansey nods sympathetically, clearly in the camp of the "suffer nobly and selflessly." Ronan is definitely not in that camp.

"Fuck that. Wanna go smash some ugly 18th century vases for stress relief?"

Adam finally breaks out a grin. "Why Ronan, I thought you'd never ask."

Gansey disapproves of aggression as a therapeutic outlet, so the two of them head out without him to the field, toting two sets of Beater bats and some truly heinous ceramics from the attic.

Adam examines a particularly misshapen bowl. "These don't have significant monetary value, do they?"

"Nope. A Gansey from a few generations back had aspirations of being an artist." Ronan lifts up a phallic cup as an example. "Clearly, it didn't work out."

They smash ceramics for a few minutes before Adam speaks up. "You know, once is once, but twice is starting to become a pattern."

"What?"

Adam looks embarrassed. "Nevermind."

It takes Ronan a moment to process the meaning of Adam's statement, but eventually he gets it. "Hey - no. You are not the reason for your breakups."

"First Blue, and now Teddy? I'm wondering if there's something about me that's just toxic for healthy long-term relationships."

"Excuse you, but that's bullshit."

"How so?" Adam wants to know.

"Look, you and Blue are like freaky mindtwins, right? And just because you guys aren't making out with each other anymore, doesn't mean you aren't still platonic soulmates for life. Boom - one healthy long-term relationship right there."

He waits for Adam to nod begrudgingly before going on.

"And the whole Veela mate thing with Teddy, the chances of that happening are one in a million. So it blows, and it's not anybody's fault. I don't know Teddy as well as I know the maggot, but Professor Potter clearly loves you and has pseudo-adopted you, so you're never getting rid of that family. Boom - probably a healthy long-term relationship there too. And what are me, Gansey, and Noah to you? Chopped liver?"

"I'm not devaluing the importance of friendships. But-" Adam shoves a frazzled hand through his hair. "-ugh! I don't know to explain it. Romance is different. You can have more than one friend, but usually you'll only date one person. So, it's a bit like you're that person's top choice. There's something nice about knowing someone wants you that much."

Ronan doesn't respond immediately, and Adam clams up. "Ignore me, I sound like a selfish child. I don't know what I was trying to say."

"You've got to stop jumping to conclusions! Give me some time to process here, okay? Not everyone thinks as quickly as you do, genius." After Ronan gathers his thoughts, he says, "It isn't selfish of you. Or, maybe it is, but I think everyone wants the same thing. To know that you're the only one for someone else. It's...nice."

Adam pretends to swoon. "Ronan Lynch, I never took you for a romantic."

Ronan's best-kept secret is that Gansey is not the mushy one of their group. Oh no. Ronan is. If the rest of Hogwarts had access to his brain, they would be appalled at the number of sonnets he's written on Adam's dusty freckles and the way he holds a quill. No one would ever think he was a "bad boy" ever again. Noah, for one, has no respect for him.

"Shut up, I'm romantic as fuck," Ronan grumbles.

Adam continues. "And I suppose the fact that my exes have respectively upgraded to a modern-day King Arthur and a girl so gorgeous she can literally mesmerize people with her beauty hasn't exactly done wonders for my self-esteem."

"You are aware that you can't actually marry money and prestige, right? Those aren't even perks for Blue, more like downsides she has to put up with for Gansey. And come on, you know you're hot."

"I don't actually know that."

"You've got the whole-" Ronan gestures at Adam's scowl, thin hands, freckles, and general Adam-ness. "-thing going on."

"You just gestured to all of me."

"Exactly!"

"Ronan, it's kind of you to play along, but you don't have to flatter me just because I'm upset about my break-up. I have features that can described generously as 'unusual.' And I'm afraid I don't have much to offer from a family background standpoint either, what with my Muggle father in jail and my Squib mother in a rehabilitation center."

Ronan tucks away the information about Adam's parents before arguing, "Who cares about your family background? Anyone who's met you for more than two minutes knows that you're brilliant and you're going to be wildly successful. You'll make your own way, as a famous Healer or a Hogwarts Professor or even the Minister of Magic."

Adam appears pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know you had so much faith in me."

"What was that Muggle thing you tried explaining to us? About stocks? I would buy a million stocks in Adam Parrish because I know you're going to be even more amazing than you already are one day. And plus, 'unusual?' More like 'unusually attractive.' Half the school is at least a little in love with you."

"Oh?" Adam seems like he's willing to humor him.

"You've got a nice smile. And pretty eyes," Ronan says quietly.

Adam covers his mouth with a hand, but not before Ronan catches a glimpse of his lips curling upward. "Okay, okay, enough! I feel like I'm fishing for compliments. Let's get back to it - these vases aren't going to destroy themselves."

Ronan definitely overshared; he spoke more to Adam today than he has in the past year combined. He's totally given away his massive crush on Adam, hasn't he?

But Adam looks a lot happier than when he first came into the manor, and it's the first time in a while that there's been no awkwardness between the two of them.

He can't regret it too much. Not when Ronan glances up at Adam, and Adam is finally looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo!!! I am happy to say that this is the end of Adam's dating misadventures and the beginning of the will-they-or-won't-they between Ronan and Adam.

**Author's Note:**

> Ronan's POV of the Hogwarts years!


End file.
